Firearms and the use thereof range from law enforcement, military and personal use. There are a vast array of types of firearms that can typically be categorized into two categories of handguns and long guns. Long guns include guns such as but not limited to rifles and shotguns. As is known in the art, rifles are most commonly manufactured in either a bolt action wherein the bolt is operated manually by the user or a semi-automatic wherein the bolt carrier group cycles automatically so as to load a new round of ammunition into the chamber for firing. One very common type of rifle is an AR-15. The AR-15 is a semi-automatic rifle that utilizes either gas or a rod to cycle the bolt carrier group during the firing of a round of ammunition. Conventional AR-15's utilize a firing pin to contact the bullet in order to provide the firing thereof.
While conventional firing pin technology has proven to be effective, there are drawbacks to utilizing this configuration. AR-15's are known to be a weapon that requires frequent cleaning. Gas operated carrier bolts result in the deposit of carbon and other contaminants into the firing chamber. This can result in firing pin malfunctions as well as other performance problems. Further, utilizing a firing pin configuration requires the use of a hammer, which results in a slightly longer cycle time and can potentially lead to accuracy issues. Electric caseless ammunition or electrically primed conventional ammunition has been shown to be desirable for eliminating lock time, which is the delay from trigger press to ammunition ignition.
Accordingly, there is a need for a carrier bolt assembly that includes a fixed insulated conductive rod that is operable to provide electronic ignition of ammunition disposed in the firing chamber of rifle such as but not limited to an AR-15.